A judge yesterday ruled to honor a jury’s recommended sentence in the case of the man convicted of involuntary manslaughter. 37 year old, Shawn Lee Johnson was found guilty of choking Thomas “Coach” Belford to death during an August 2012 fight in Lynchburg. Johnson was convicted of on Dec. 16; he pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and claimed self-defense in the fight. Involuntary manslaughter could carry a maximum of 10 years; the judge on Wednesday upheld the four years sentence and credited Johnson with time served.
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